Fearology: The Paradox of Mortality

Fear can preserve life, while at the same time causing it to prematurely deteriorate into perpetual death.

Everyone felt paralyzed by fear at some point in their life. A hideous phobia has the potential to put someone’s mortality at risk, even though that same fear normally provides a motivation to preserve life. Muscles lock. Sweat drips into our eyes. Adrenaline wrenches the gut as we breathe shallow sips of air. And that’s if everything goes well.

These sensations may petrify our ability to rationally protect themselves when it matters. A fearful stasis puts our morality at risk, and it can be more lethal than the actual threat. Indecision is like an invisible guillotine.

Sometimes simply moving out the way is enough to keep us out of danger. Sometimes our body seemingly prefers to stands its ground and become splattered into bloody pieces by the train of fear.

Is it possible to be scared of fear? The fight or flight response is a natural instinct that defends us from situations that risk our well-being. If we deny ourselves either of those choices, then we’re at the mercy of circumstance.

Perhaps those that are stricken by symptoms of fear haven’t been exposed enough to become comfortable. People tend to stray away from things that makes their spine shutter—sometimes without giving their body a chance to adapt. People who have a morbid fear of cats won’t cultivate the effort needed to confront a hellish feline; they’ll prefer to turn their back when ever they see a cat’s silhouette prowling upon a wall.

Ailurophobics (phobia of cats) may initially experience a symptom or two: increased heartbeat or sweaty palms.

However, the full menagerie of fear symptoms can be avoided if we don’t confront the thing which inspires fear to awaken inside us. And when the time comes when we can no longer retreat—the lack of adaptation immobilizes the will to fight.

Subscribe & Become A Slasher

Contribute To SMM

Instructions for submitting to SlasherMonsterMagazine is as follows. Please read everything on this page before submitting. SUBMISSION PROCEDURES Instructions: All fiction, poetry, and art (drawings, collages, photography, etc.) are to be emailed to slashermonstersubmissions@gmail.com. Guidelines: SlasherMonster is seeking original horror and dark fantasy work. All types of horror and dark fantasy are welcome. No subject should be considered off-limits, and we encourage [Click Here & Be Scared!]